Does your business still rely on Microsoft Publisher for marketing materials? With Microsoft retiring this software, accessing old documents may become a headache. Fortunately, the LibreOffice Publisher file compatibility feature offers a free way to keep working with your documents. Learn more about it here.
Microsoft Publisher Retires After More Than 30 Years
For decades, Microsoft Publisher has helped small businesses create professional-looking materials without specialized graphic design software. From promotional flyers and brochures to company newsletters, the desktop publishing software has become a practical tool for everyday business communications.
However, Microsoft officially discontinued Publisher in October 2026, ending over three decades of service. The retirement affects Microsoft 365 subscribers, while standalone versions like Publisher 2021 have also reached the end of support.
What does this mean for existing users? Although Microsoft isn’t deleting their .pub files, the discontinuation introduces the following challenges:
- Microsoft 365 users lose access to Publisher for opening and editing their documents.
- Standalone Publisher 2021 installations may continue working, but they do not receive security updates or technical support anymore.
- Existing Microsoft Publisher files remain intact, though their proprietary format limits compatibility with other applications.
Does Microsoft Have Any Solutions?
Microsoft recommends the following Publisher file conversion options, depending on how you plan to use them:
- PDF for printing and viewing: While suitable for sharing finished documents, things may become more difficult when a file needs extensive editing.
- DOCX for editing: Microsoft’s Word format lets you modify text and other content, but it lacks Publisher’s specialized desktop publishing capabilities.
Unfortunately, neither option makes a good long-term replacement for the original application. While both PDF and DOCX are widely supported formats, converting your files doesn’t guarantee that you’ll retain full control over their original design.
LibreOffice Gives Publisher Files a Second Life
The good news is that you don’t have to abandon your old Publisher documents. LibreOffice, a free, open-source office suite, offers an alternative through its Draw application, which allows users to view and edit Microsoft Publisher 1998 to 2010 .pub files.
Since Microsoft’s PUB format isn’t an open standard, developers from the Document Liberation Project needed to do some reverse-engineering. They created a software library called libmspub, which provides PUB file format support and allows LibreOffice and another open-source application, Scribus, to import Publisher documents.
LibreOffice compatibility with Publisher files offers many potential advantages, including:
- No licensing costs: Access your existing documents without paying for another office software subscription.
- Continued editing: Update old marketing materials instead of recreating them from scratch.
- Greater file independence: Save documents in a format that isn’t tied to one software vendor.
Don’t Let Software Retirement Put Your Files at Risk
Even though the LibreOffice Publisher file compatibility feature is seemingly saving the day, this should serve as a warning for companies that rely on proprietary file formats. What happens when the software supporting them disappears?
Review your company’s document archives and identify files tied to specific applications sooner rather than later. Consider migrating them to open standards before another software retirement limits your access.